There's no denying that metal is a predominantly European and Caucasian form of music. In the United States, the majority of the music buying public labors under the illusion that hard rock started with the Korn explosion or is something that troubled kids are "under the influence of" when they commit deviant or criminal acts. Given metal's chiefly "white" nature, it's fairly uncommon for a metal band to have an African American among its ranks. Even more rare is the hard rock band where four fifths of the members are black.
That's central New Jersey's God Forbid. With one full immersion into Determination, the quintet's Century Media Record debut, you'll drop to your knees and thank the hard rock Gods Of Thunder for bestowing upon your ears an Americanized form of melodic thrash that hasn't sounded this feral, this original, and this revolutionary in years.
God Forbid still has something to prove. Guitarist Dallas Coyle says, "It's intriguing. It's almost like we're cheating. Everyone in this band knows that we're good at we do. But like a lot of people check us out because it's like a taboo. They think, 'Oh my god! They're black.' It's like Kittie being checked out because they are girls."
If you expect God Forbid to bust a rhyme or drop phat grooves into its sound, it's best to go demand a refund at the door. If you're wondering what issues might creep into God Forbid's lyrics, given the religious connotations of its name, cease looking. Just stop, mosh 'n roll.
Don't expect tribal or reggae rhythms to assert themselves in the album's percussion. Skinsman Corey Pierce points out, "I thought I would play around with that kind of percussion, but not for the point of sounding tribal but because I was trying to be musical, put groove in, and flex my skills."
On Determination, songs like "Nothing," "Go Your Own Way" and "Broken Promise" are nothing short of savage, with monster breakdowns and clean melodies. God Forbid doesn't do the commonplace quiet-loud transition, dropping in pretty, soft passages to illustrate just how breakneck fast and complex their music really is. Instead, God Forbid starts and ends with voracious anger. After the wrecking ball has landed and the debris has been cleared, it's you and them feeling cleansed, happily exhausted, and better people because of it.
"We want to a set a standard for the state of New Jersey," says vocalist Byron Davis, a hulking mass who speaks very softly in conversation, but shrieks and barks, ultimately releasing many a demon when he's performing, "for being heavy and metal."
Indeed, while God Forbid -with the exception of bass technician Beeker, whose work would make Cliff Burton and Geezer Butler proud- might look like Living Color, they sound like early Sepultura, Pantera, and Morbid Angel with a dash of Hatebreed's hardcore breakdown sensibility and the dynamic, stylistic change ups of Eurometal pioneers At The Gates and current torch bearers In Flames. On Determination, God Forbid double dips with its sound, manufacturing both Eurometal melodics and chunky breakdowns that will have the diehard metal fan with a Testament patch on his jacket banging his head alongside the moshpit maniac sporting a Dillinger Escape Plan hoodie. This is metalcore as it was meant to be.
While that might seem like too high of a standard for a relatively new metal band to set for itself, God Forbid, who has existed for nearly 4 years in its current incarnation, aims high and sets expectations that might make a band of lesser caliber crumble. But God Forbid are tech-heads, students of music who keep their collective ear tuned to not only the music that surrounds them, but their own sonic output.
Dallas Coyle continues, "We don't write to be technical, but because we like it. We will write something and just get that feeling in our stomachs where we know it's good." God Forbid knew they had something to prove, which seemed to make the quintet work that much harder, feeding off the anger and aggression implicit in hard music.
God Forbid does have a past, issuing Reject The Sickness on small indie label 9 Volt Records. The album maintained a crunchy, chugga chugga pace, with the title track and "Amendment" racking up airplay on New Jersey/New York area metal radio giant WSOU. God Forbid has played shows with the likes of Sevendust, Sick Of It All, Soul Brains and Shadows Fall. But as far as what God Forbid can and is going to do, the surface has yet to be grazed, much less scratched. The quintet plans on being a touring machine in support of Determination.
With metal fever at an all time high in the United States, Dallas Coyle says "Right now, metal is big. Hopefully if it becomes uncool, we'll still be cool." Determination is 47 minutes of maelstrom and integrity. That will give God Forbid staying power, whether metal is in vogue or not.
Source: http://www.godforbid.com
